Quiet and polite he may be, but he's proven that he's not afraid to fight for causes he believes in.

Mahoney thinks that proves he's an active and effective commissioner. But his Republican opponent, Darric Roesler, believes Mahoney has simply proven he's an extremely partisan Democrat who votes in defense of his party's older leadership, rather than the good of the county.

Mahoney and Roesler are battling for the second time for the District 1 county board seat, which covers the cities of Whitehall and Montague and the townships of Fruitland, Whitehall, White River and Montague.

Darric Roesler

Ken Mahoney

Mahoney beat Roesler in a special election last year to complete the term of the late Commissioner Steve Wisniewski.

The best example of Mahoney's sudden influence came in the past few months, when he led a county board revolt against the proposed fiscal 2009 county budget.

Former County Administrator Jack Niemiec wanted the courts and countywide elected officials to absorb a significant portion of the $2.3 million worth of budget cuts, claiming they avoided similar sacrifices in the past. But Mahoney sided with the targeted officials, saying the cuts would threaten vital public services.

He successfully pushed through a last-minute amendment that reinstated funding for several positions and programs, and used $237,000 from the county's tax forfeiture fund to cover the costs.

His actions pleased some commissioners and infuriated others. But they also cemented the idea that Mahoney, in less than two years on the job, has become a force on the county board.

"I don't know how influential I am, but I try to take a proactive approach to things instead of being reactive," Mahoney said.

Some of Mahoney's more vocal stands were in defense of some Democratic allies who found themselves in difficult situations.

He defended Drain Commissioner Martin Hulka when the majority of the board moved to discipline him for a series of alleged misdeeds.

He also defended county road commissioners, two of whom were longtime Democrats, when the majority of commissioners voted to cut what they considered their exorbitant salaries and benefits.

Mahoney admits that Hulka and the Democratic road commissioners are old friends, but he denies playing the partisan card for their benefit.

"I just think those issues could have been dealt with in a less public arena," Mahoney said.

Roesler, 36, a Montague City Council member since 2001, doesn't buy Mahoney's rationale.

"He is fiercely partisan, someone who votes on things based on what his party says he should do," said Roesler, a firefighter/paramedic for the city of Muskegon and a part-time police officer for Whitehall.

As a city council member, Roesler said he addresses issues independently and decides how to vote after considering all sides. He said most issues at the county level do not lend themselves to conventional liberal/conservative differences, so there's no need for partisan influence.

Montague City Council members -- unlike members of the county board -- are not elected on partisan ballots.

"In general, Republicans and Democrats should have no problem getting together and doing what's best for the county," said Roesler, the cousin of Sheriff Dean Roesler and the nephew of Montague Mayor Henry Roesler. "If there's a problem, they need to get together and fix it."

"The reason some people question individual commissioners is because of the way they act. It makes people wonder what's going on down there."